1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices which close the transom of a boat and which permit one or more outboard motors to be mounted behind the boat transom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An outboard motor boat is often provided with a low cut or open transom which is very susceptible to water boarding the boat's cockpit by flowing through the motor well. This is particularly true when drifting in rough water due to the drag of the outboard engine's lower unit combined with the windage of the hull which causes the boat to be oriented with its stern to windward and the oncoming waves.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,362 discloses a device for sealing an open transom of a boat by forming a shield of canvas or the like over the open transom. The motor is mounted directly to the closed-in transom. Advantages have been found in mounting a motor further aft of the boat transom. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,813,365; 4,000,712; 2,886,462; 2,842,086 and 2,764,119 disclose various boat attachments for mounting of one or more external motors aft of the transom. But these devices do not seal the open transom.
In order to overcome many of the problems of the prior art devices, I developed an outboard motor mounting system as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,895,095 and 4,708,087. My previous outboard motor mounting devices for mounting a motor aft of the transom section provides a buoyant motor mounting device, together with a transom sealing unit. However, my previous outboard motor mounting device is unique to specific configurations of boat hulls and has a limited range of applicability.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to provide an outboard motor mounting system which is applicable to a wide variety of boat hulls while maintaining all the advantages of a motor mounted behind the transom.